SPARROW’S NEST
Expat Depp eyeing $4M Italian castle
Johnny Depp is looking at buying a $4 million historic castle in Montalto Dora in northwest Italy, according to reports.
Depp, 60, has largely been living and making movies in Europe since his successful 2022 defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard.
While directing a biopic about the early 20th-century painter Amedeo Modigliani, Depp toured the ancient fortress perched on the hills of Monte Crovero in Turin, according to newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Sources told The Post actor Riccardo Scamarcio, who stars in the movie along with Al Pacino, has been a frequent visitor to the castle and took Depp with him, with a view to buying it.
The castle is currently for sale after undergoing a careful and lengthy restoration with medieval and gothic influences.
The sprawling property is more than 22,000 square feet and has 11 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, a paved courtyard and a 15th-century chapel.
And if that’s not enough, there’s also a smaller castle and farmhouse on the land.
No welcome wagon yet
Renzo Galletto, mayor of Montaldo Dora, told The Post he is not convinced Depp, who played Captain Jack Sparrow in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, should be king of this particular castle.
“A celebrity buying a historic monument like the Montalto Dora castle would bring a lot of attention to the area, but we’re not sure if it would be the right ‘economic synergy’ for the community,” he said, adding that the residence is under the protection of Italian Cultural Heritage.
The village of Montalto Dora is home to only around 3,300 people.
“Building [anything new inside or out] would require a lot of approvals and permissions,” Galletto noted.
Depp’s representatives declined to comment.
The Montalto manor overlooks the Park of the Five Lakes in Ivrea in an area of great geological and natural interest.
It is abundant with typical species of Piedmont Italian flora such as oaks, ashes, chestnuts and wild cherries, tourism officials boast.
The mayor, who later clarified he had not met the Hollywood actor, said Depp would not be immediately discounted — should he make an offer on the castle.
“The property is private and we will be absolutely neutral in any real-estate sale,” Galletto said of the town's decisionmaking.
“But we will be very strict when it comes to the urban planning rules, we will do everything we can to protect the castle.”
A source close to Depp said he would “of course” respect any rules or regulations if he ends up buying the castle.
Depp already owns one castle of sorts in West Hollywood, a replica of a Bavarian estate that looks more like a horror-film set, replete with turrets, towers and battlements.
He purchased the property for $2.3 million in 1995 from flamboyant lawyer-to-the stars Marvin Mitchelson.
The Italian castle quest comes amid the upcoming Palace of Versailles-set drama “Jeanne Du Barry,” which stars Depp as King Louis XV and is set to be released in the US on May 2.